More Than Just A Healer
by 221b-bagend-street-badwolf
Summary: To Jason, Pythagoras was always more than just his healer. A slip of the...well, mouth, proves that Pythagoras had been thinking the same thing. Jagoras fluff.


Jason winced as he pulled his arm across his chest by the elbow, groaning as the action did little in the ways of mending his aching shoulders and lower back. He tried stretching his chest outwards, arms bent horizontal and head dropped back. But to no avail. His muscles continued to protest and all he really wanted to do was get rid of his aching pains.

"I managed to persuade Himos to give us an extra bread loaf!" Pythagoras called through from the front door. He placed the items he'd bought from the market on the table and frowned when he heard no reply from Jason. Hercules was out at the tavern with Medusa and one of her friends from the palace kitchens so it was only Jason he was expecting a reply from. Yet none came.

"Jason?" He called out slightly concerned.

"In here!" Jason replied, his voice strained as he stretched his arms behind his back, desperately trying to sooth his shoulders.

Pythagoras peered round the door to the bedroom and swallowed. Jason was sat with his back to the door, atop the bed Pythagoras usually slept in, shirtless and ruffled up. His hair stuck up from frustration and his skin glistened with sweat from exertion. He grunted, sighed and dropped his arms into his lap. His shoulders blades rippling the smooth expanse of tanned skin on his back.

Pythagoras swallowed again and averted his eyes to Jason's face as the dark-haired man twisted to greet him.

"Sorry...I just can't seem to get my back to sit right. Do we have any remedial herbs left? I could really use some, I seem to have damaged a few muscles..." He asked and Pythagoras had to fight hard to actually find his voice. Why was he behaving so strangely? He'd seen Jason shirtless plenty of times! In far better lighting!

_But never has he been shirtless on your bed before._ His inner voice added and the triangle-enthusiast felt his heart start to hammer violently.

"U-ah...yes, I'll go and have a look." He excused himself quickly and shot out the door. Jason frowned but was quickly distracted by his muscle pain and winced, reaching an arm over his shoulder to try and sooth it.

"You really shouldn't exert yourself so much, you know!" Pythagoras called through from the other room. His head stuck in a cupboard but Jason still heard him.

"I don't understand! I've done far more strenuous activity than lifting crates for Medusa...but I've never felt pain like this before." Jason quietened when he noticed the blonde return with a small bottle in his hands.

"Maybe it's all caught up with you. I mean, you did work yourself pretty hard at the Pancratium. I doubt those muscle injuries would have had time to fully heal before you were off creating more." Pythagoras fiddled with the bottle as he worried his lip with his teeth. "We only have this left." He held the bottle up. "It's err..."

Jason quirked an eyebrow at the man's hesitation. "What is it?"

"Massage oil, with herbal soothers mixed in." Pythagoras rubbed his chin as if pondering a thought. "But I can go and fetch some fresh herbs and just apply them like I would any other medicine."

"No, no." Jason shifted on the bed, leaving a space beside him. "Massage oil is fine. You don't need to run around for me." He smiled up at the blonde but the triangles-expert faltered. Was he expecting him to do it? _Of course he is, there's nothing wrong with expecting you to do it!_

Pythagoras' grip on the bottle tightened and he slowly lowered himself onto the bed beside Jason.

"Right. Of course." He mumbled and popped out the tiny cork. Gently pouring a small amount onto the tips of his fingers, he set the bottle down on the floor beside his foot and rubbed his hands together to spread the oil evenly. They shook nervously as he hovered them over Jason's skin, screwing his eyes shut to compose himself. He really was overreacting, he'd used this oil on Jason before. Only, that was on his calf muscle...not his shoulders and back. And it was when Hercules was present, not when they were alone.

Pythagoras swallowed for the third time and, deciding to try and forget about their situation, he set to work rubbing his thumbs in circles below the base of Jason's neck.

"I-Is this aright?" He asked, inwardly cursing his voice for wavering.

"Yes..." Jason replied absently. Finally there was some relief to his pain and his eyes had fallen shut.

Pythagoras dug his fingertips into Jason's skin to apply a different pressure across the tops of Jason's shoulders, thumbs now circling slightly lower down his upper back.

The oil added extra sheen to Jason's already-glistening skin and it caused Pythagoras' cheeks to heat lightly. A part of him was urging to lean forward and kiss the nape of Jason's neck. But he held back. Just.

Working hard to concentrate on soothing Jason's pains and not succumb to his urges, Pythagoras slowly raked the pads of his fingers down the length of Jason's back; feeling the knots in his muscles and wincing at just how much the hero had damaged himself.

"You know, this might just be the worse you've ever gotten." The blonde commented, slightly concerned as he repeated the action again and not much had changed beneath Jason's skin.

"Ah..." Jason crooned as the pressure caused slight pain before it soothed. "Well...I did dislocate my shoulder...remember." He managed, screwing his eyes further shut as Pythagoras returned his attention to circling his shoulder muscles again.

"True." The temporary masseuse mumbled quietly.

"But..." Jason began, rolling his shoulders a couple of times as the blonde now rubbed the same circles but either side of the base of Jason's back. "I've got you to heal me each time." He turned to smirk at the blonde over is shoulder. "So really, I shouldn't have to stop at all."

Pythagoras met his playful eyes and immediately his guard slipped. There was a moments hesitation where his hands slowed and his focus shifted to Jason's eyes, before he'd quickly leant forward and captured the brunette's lips. His angle caused clumsiness in his aim and he only caught half of Jason's mouth. But it didn't matter anyway, because he'd pulled away before it really posed any kind of potential problem.

Immediately Pythagoras regretted the action and his cheeks flamed. He dropped his hands from Jason's back and folded them embarrassedly in his lap.

"I'm sorry- I really don't know why I just- I shouldn't've..." The triangle-expert lacked that certain talent in forming coherent sentences and he stammered, not meeting Jason's eyes anymore.

"Hey hey, don't be." Jason shifted to face him and placed a hand on Pythagoras's upper arm comfortingly. The blonde looked at it for a second before finally lifting his head to lock eyes with Jason again.

This time, Jason initiated it, using his hand on Pythagoras's arm to pull him in. Unlike the first attempt, their lips were aligned perfectly. It started as several small kisses, Pythagoras hesitant, Jason conscious of the blonde's nervousness. But Pythagoras prolonged the third, or maybe fourth, and felt the heat in his cheeks begin to settle as his concentration was completely absorbed by Jason. The blonde's hands found Jason's skin again except this time they were plastered firmly to his chest. He rubbed upwards with his thumbs across Jason's stomach before sliding both hands up and around his neck. Even he was surprised at his own boldness and Jason reciprocated by parting his lips to deepen the kiss. His tongue swept once over Pythagoras's bottom lip and the blonde hesitated, for about half a second, before too parting his lips and letting Jason completely consume him.

Jason had drawn the hand on Pythagoras's arm down to rest on his waist and the other had found it's way just under the hem of Pythagoras's shirt.

The kiss continued for a few more seconds before they gently parted, breathless.

"Remind me to get you to massage me more often." Jason chuckled once his breathing had slowed, his eyes were playful again.

Pythagoras only laughed breathily in response, still quite taken aback by what they'd just done.

"I'm ho-ome! Anybody miss me?" Hercules boomed from the doorway to the house and the boys fumbled to pull apart from each other in time.

"Blimey, it's hot in here!" The man fanned himself as he entered the bedroom. "Don't tell me you too had a wrestling match or something..." He was stumbling, he'd obviously had a few too many drinks at the tavern.

"Nope, no wrestling." Jason quickly stood to steady the man and Hercules frowned in confusion.

"Well something must have generated all of this...heat!"

Before Pythagoras even had time to blush, Jason answered.

"Yes, Hercules. It's a big, yellow ball called the Sun." He nodded, speaking to the drunk as though he were a four-year-old. "Come on, let's get you laid down." Jason lead him out of the bedroom; but not before turning back to Pythagoras and mouthing a 'stay there' and shooting him a mock stern look. Pythagoras grew both anticipated and nervous all at once and suddenly he realised what Hercules had been moaning about.

It did just get very suddenly hot.


End file.
